MELBOURNE, Fla. — Editor's note: The above photo is of a different, adult black bear.
Despite the ever-evolving challenges facing our zoos around the nation, they continue to aid wildlife in need.
Brevard Zoo in Melbourne shared video of keepers hand-raising an orphaned Florida black bear cub.
In late February, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission personnel responded when a member of the public found a weeks-old black bear cub alone on a dirt road in Ocala National Forest.
FWC staff took the cub with them. They searched the area for his mother, but couldn't find her.
FWC found out the cub had problem feeding. He had “uncoordinated suck,” which is why his mother probably left him. Domestic animals with the same condition have been abandoned as well.
Because he was abandoned at such a young age, the cub is not a candidate for release back into the wild.
He's estimated to be six weeks old now. Brevard Zoo says he's healthy, feeding well and has opened his eyes.
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